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I am always tempted to volunteer to help out at the Folk Festival. I think it would be a lot of fun to join the ‘bucket brigade,’ collecting donations from the crowd or be a guide to one of the performers, but I never have.  Instead, we open up our house to out-of-town friends and family for the whole weekend.  Having a dozen or more overnight guests is a lot of work, but it makes me feel that I’m doing my part to support the festival and spread the good word about Lowell. This year, some of our younger friends took the Festival Train from Faneuil Hall in Boston up to Lowell. It was a free train ride and the energetic Brazilian Perucussion ensemble, BatukAxe, kept them entertained the whole way.  Still, it takes over 1,000 volunteers to run the festival! I’ve checked out the website, and they make it easy, by trying to fit people with a task that they will enjoy and be well-suited for and there are lots of different opportunities to help. It seems like a fun and different way to enjy the Folk Festival. One of these years, I may just leave my guests to fend for themselves and get behind the scenes…..

The best thing about this year was that our college-age kids and their friends had a good time. After years of dragging them around the festival, this year they chose to come.  My musician son’s comment about the guitar playing of James Hand & Magic Band:  “Sick.”

Some other favorites from this year:

Saturday at Boarding House Park, Diunna Greenleaf & Blue Mercy – the sound technicians had to work hard to keep her connected as she waded into the crowd, ‘feed me, I’m going out there,’ she said.

Under umbrellas at Market Street Stage, listening to the soothing sound of Edmar Castaneda and his Colombian harp: more »